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SMALL BUSINESSS OWNERS in Ireland can now receive mentoring from multinationals based here such as Pfizer, IBM, Paypal and Microsoft through a programme operated by non-profit forum Plato.
The Dublin branch of the support forum, which is also running in over eleven European countries, has already offered the chance for over 3,000 small business owners to learn from senior managers at ‘parent’ companies such as ESB and and Ulster Bank and now some of the most successful multinationals in the country are on board.
Marion Walshe, regional manager of Plato Dublin said the service offers practical training, business counselling and a confidential support service to help develop the necessary skillset for entrepreneurs to grow their business and plan the next step.
“Plato’s core principle is simple: if you remove isolation from the decision making process, small business owners can make better strategic decisions,” she explained. “Plato is there to support SMEs through its network of voluntary group leaders and parent companies.”
She said that the next 12 month programme starts in April and the forum is inviting more small business owners to benefit from what it has to offer.
Jim Roycroft, Biotech Community Leader from Pfizer, said that helping to facilitate the programme is a tangible way that his company can support the SME sector.
“Providing access to ‘large-company’ expertise certainly aids the growth process for smaller companies, while also offering leaders at Pfizer a development opportunity,” he said. “I volunteered because I had a personal interest in understanding how small businesses work and I felt I wanted to give something back.”
To be eligible to participate in the Small Business Development Programme 2014/2015, companies must be at least two years in business, with a minimum of three staff. The deadline for applications is Monday, 31 March for the next programme, which gets underway in early April. Further information can be found on the Plato Dublin website.
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To ALL the Mothers out there……. THANKS & WELL DONE, enjoy your day today….. you deserve every card, bunch of flowers, meal out, chocolates,pampering etc 1000 times over!!!!!!!
@Ken Mc Carthy: this isn’t Facebook ken
@Steven: it sure isn’t—- it’s an article, a TINY thumb up to all the wonderful, fantastic Mothers in the world -!!! Get a life…….. if you’re fortunate enough to be able to spend a bit of time with your mother today— Savour it-!!!, don’t waste one more second comparing facesbook, Instagram, WhatsApp… or whatever
@Ken Mc Carthy: Thank you Ken.
@Ken Mc Carthy: this should be every day, this is all another money racket.
@Ken Mc Carthy: Celebrated last night with my sisters and a few glasses of bubbly to celebrate one of the greatest days in Ireland with the biggest NO to this referendum and the government, and all politicians and NGO’s that tried to eradicate Mother’s and Women for our citizens owned constitution.
@Shane O Mac: it’s nice to be appreciated!
@Clare Power: lol….. don’t ‘over-egg’ it Clare—— I’ve no doubt YOU ARE!!!!!
@Ken Mc Carthy: If you are going to ‘over-egg’ it Clare,wait until after Easter when they’ll all be sold off for half price.
@Ken Mc Carthy: You forgot to add an X in your message,Ken. (formerly known as Twitter)
@Ken Mc Carthy: God Ken, you can’t even be nice to someone without a snarkie remark!
@Larry Betts: All eggs bought already Larry…there flying out the shops…its an eggtravaganza
@Clare Power: Don’t shell out too much Clare
@Clare Power: ah Clare….. I was being nice!!!! Hope you and every Mother in Ireland is having a well deserved ball of a time today
Happy mother’s day and thanks to everyone who voted NO-NO
Happy Mother’s Day, congratulations and thank you.
A woman’s place is in the Constitution.
Everyone’s place is in the Constitution. Including father, who is not in any article of the Constitution.
@Brian Lenehan: thank you so much
@Brian Lenehan: A woman’s place is wherever she wants to be!
@Brian Lenehan: And in Dail Eireann.
@Clare Power: Not according to the Constitution, which says her place is in the home, making a sandwich.
@9QRixo8H: men are included in article 45 of the constitution and if you want father mentioned then fight for it, but do not remove WOMEN or MOTHER in order to do it.
@9QRixo8H: That’s if you’re bothered listening to other people telling you what to do!
@silvery moon: I don’t need Woke bs like putting ‘father’ into the constitution when it already says parents and family.
But if it makes you feel less fragile to have Woke words like a woman’s life is within the home making sandwiches then be Woke all you want.
I’m a mother and I’m deeply loved by my children, also I haven’t been erased from the Irish constitution, so double presents all round. To all mothers, biological, foster and adoptive, Happy Mother’s Day to you all.
@Anna Carr (Morrigan_Dubh): And Fathers? Do they deserve a place there?
Brother is not in the Constitution, nor is sister, father, grandfather, and so on. Because we can use simpler language, like parents or family.
Mother is mentioned in relation to two things; abortion and the other is the right to social welfare instead of working.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: men are included in article 45 of the constitution and if you want father mentioned then fight for it, but do not remove WOMEN or MOTHER in order to do it.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: of course they do, but that wasn’t in the proposal
In a wonderful way, Ireland celebrates its mothers two days running.
@Osprey: not being pedantic or taking from your v valid point ….. but you could even say 3 days running( Friday was International Women’s day).
@Alan B: a lovely thumbs up to the fantastic Mothers of the world & you try to hijack the article with juvenile trolling?
@Osprey: and March 9th was International Dishwasher Day!
@Alan B: Alan? Who da f *ck is Alan?
Well done to everybody who voted No/No, you did your country proud
It’s insane that people are gloating about the result. It might be the result you wanted but we’ve still got some embarrassingly sexist and outdated language in our constitution because the government couldn’t get the wording right. It’s a hollow victory. It’s not a happy event.
Hopefully we can do this again with wording that will help it pass next time. As is, this is a pretty depressing Mother’s Day. We couldn’t even give them equality in the constitution in the last couple of days. We’re stuck with sexist and patriarchal drivel from the last century.
@SerotoninWars: obviously, the only words you chose to see were “duties in the home” and ignored the rest. Maybe read it again a few more times and it might sink in.
@SerotoninWars: Take a day off, you’re a head wrecker.
@SerotoninWars: life is tough.
@SerotoninWars: A bitter pill to swallow, but the government’s fault. As with the rugby yesterday, the winners will have their day and there’s not point in denying them that.
@Brendan O’Brien: no point, even.
@Brendan O’Brien: Thanks for the civil reply. I’m not at all Brendan. I completely get why it was defeated and that the government screwed up royally. It just feels like a strange one to be celebrating when we haven’t made a jot of progress, wasted millions and are left with highly regressive text and ideas in our constitution. If it had been thought through and worded properly it could have been a really happy occasion and another hammer taken to the shackles of the past when we were ruled by the Catholic Church.
@SerotoninWars: THERE IS NOTHING SEXIST OR OUTDATED ABOUT WOMEN AND MOTHER’S
@Brendan O’Brien: The People Have spoken and WOMEN will not be erased in Irish society and as far as I am aware we still live in the Republic of Ireland where it’s citizens are king and politicians are supposed to work for us, well it’s high time they did just that.
@silvery moon: The idea was to erase sexist language: the opposite of erasing women. But the government screwed it up.
To my mother with the angels
Yesterday was for you ❤️
Happy Mothers day Mam
No my mam is longer with me I will lay flowers
Usually makes me sad to have all the ads related to this day displayed for a month, but the article does mention about remembering ones we’ve lost.
It was a nice thing that Deliveroo did a few years ago, letting subscribers opt out of seeing ads if found it to be a hard time. I wish more places would allow that.
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